The Volta River Basin
The Volta River Basin

Author: Timothy O. Williams

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-09-19

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 131747953X

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The Volta River Basin (VRB) is an important transboundary basin in West Africa that covers approximately 410,000 square kilometres across six countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo. Its natural resources sustain the livelihoods of its population and contribute to economic development. This book provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary review and assessment of the issues and challenges faced. The authors provide a science-based assessment of current and future scenarios of water availability, the demands of key sectors, including agriculture and hydropower, and the environment under changing demographic, economic, social and climatic conditions. They also identify solutions and strategies that will allow available water resources to be sustainably used to improve agricultural productivity, food security and economic growth in the VRB. Overall, the work examines from a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder perspective the solutions and strategies to improve the use of water and other natural resources in the VRB to achieve enhanced food security, livelihoods and economic growth.

Water Resources Management and Modeling
Water Resources Management and Modeling

Author: Purna Nayak

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2012-03-21

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 953510246X

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Hydrology is the science that deals with the processes governing the depletion and replenishment of water resources of the earth's land areas. The purpose of this book is to put together recent developments on hydrology and water resources engineering. First section covers surface water modeling and second section deals with groundwater modeling. The aim of this book is to focus attention on the management of surface water and groundwater resources. Meeting the challenges and the impact of climate change on water resources is also discussed in the book. Most chapters give insights into the interpretation of field information, development of models, the use of computational models based on analytical and numerical techniques, assessment of model performance and the use of these models for predictive purposes. It is written for the practicing professionals and students, mathematical modelers, hydrogeologists and water resources specialists.

Sustainable Use of Soils and Water
Sustainable Use of Soils and Water

Author: Fernando António Leal Pacheco

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2020-04-30

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 3039286447

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This book on the sustainable use of soils and water addressed a variety of issues related to the utopian desire for environmental sustainability and the deviations from this scene observed in the real world. Competing interests for land are frequently a factor in land degradation, especially where the adopted land uses do not conform with the land capability (the natural use of soil). The concerns of researchers about these matters are presented in the articles comprising this Special Issue book. Various approaches were used to assess the (im)balance between economic profit and environmental conservation in various regions, in addition to potential routes to bring landscapes back to a sustainable status being disclosed.

Flood recession agriculture for food security in Northern Ghana
Flood recession agriculture for food security in Northern Ghana

Author: Sidibe, Yoro

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2016-02-26

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13:

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This review describes a range of physical and socio-economic scientific methods and field activities that will be implemented in a proposed research project to develop a better understanding of the extent and patterns of flooding and the potential of flood-recession agriculture. These activities will allow the hydrological characteristics of the river to be matched to crop-livestock systems of flood recession agriculture that are well suited to the study communities and their organizational and institutional frameworks in order to support sustainable growth of such systems. This detailed study will provide recommendations on the technical, economic, institutional and policy measures needed to achieve sustainable intensification of flood recession agriculture in northern Ghana, while complementing efforts undertaken to promote other types of water management systems. Options for out-scaling of flood recession agriculture beyond the study area to other suitable areas will also be explored. The expectation is that the proposed project will improve food security by enhancing knowledge on effective flood recession practices, enhance rural incomes through expanded dry-season farming with new opportunities for rural employment, and improve adaptation to climate change by building more resilient farming communities. To achieve these expected outcomes, proactive policies that clearly identify flood recession agriculture as an alternative farming practice and provide institutional mandates to irrigation support services to promote it through training, demonstration, and outreach programs will be equally valuable.

Ecophysiological Diversity of Wild Arabica Coffee Populations in Ethiopia
Ecophysiological Diversity of Wild Arabica Coffee Populations in Ethiopia

Author: Taye Kufa Obso

Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 386727990X

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Coffea arabica, one of the economically most important crops worldwide, occurs naturally in the undergrowth of montane rainforests of Ethiopia. The study provides the first detailed ecophysiological investigations of wild coffee populations. It demonstrates the inter- and intra-regional variability in phenotypic and hydrological characteristics of wild coffee. The results reveal very different strategies of wild coffee seedlings for coping with drought stress. The ecophysiological diversity shows the importance of Ethiopian wild coffee populations as gene pools for future breeding programs, and underlines the need for an in-situ conservation strategy. The study includes recommendations for coffee forest management and the use of wild arabica coffee in Ethiopia.

Management of Bombus Atratus Bumblebees to Pollinate Lulo (Solanum Quitoense L), a Native Fruit from the Andes of Colombia
Management of Bombus Atratus Bumblebees to Pollinate Lulo (Solanum Quitoense L), a Native Fruit from the Andes of Colombia

Author: Maria Teresa Almanza Fandiño

Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13: 3867271879

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Solanum quitoense (Lulo) from the northern Andes is a fruit with an attractive taste. It has a high export potential but its production is hampered by insufficient pollination. Studies on the reproductive system of Lulo revealed that, due to their poricidal anthers, the flowers need pollinators for self- and cross-pollination. Pollination by native bumblebees significantly increases fruit set and quality. Experiments show that colonies of Bombus atratus can be reared in captivity and used in Lulo fields for providing increased pollination services. Modeling based on data on colony development reveal larva/workers ratio and the supply of pollen as main parameters for improving the rearing method.